Synchronicity
by Shipmate
Summary: A series of ficlets and drabbles focusing on the relationship between the Dark Ace and Aerrow.
1. Charm

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "they say perfection's always right around the corner"

Theme/Prompt: 33. Charm, 64damn_prompts

Genre: General

Rating: K

Pairing: barely-even-there DA/A

Words: 131

a/n: inspired by 'Age of Heroes'.

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"_This is the part where I claim victory,"_

He has his sword at the boy's throat, watches the jumbled cacophony of emotions flashing across his eyes – _anger, humiliation, respect– _as a trickle of blood tracks its way down the boy's jaw line. Garnet hair is in disarray, falling wildly around a grimy face, flushed with exertion and shame. Splayed against the ground, uniform sporting various rips and tears, bruises and seeping cuts dimly visible. Youthful features pulled together into a disheartened scowl, until he whips away the sword, deactivating the crystal's power. A smirk slides its way across the elder's visage.

"_But since you're young, I'll allow you a lifetime to savour your defeat."_

The Dark Ace is pretty certain he's never been more attracted to someone in his entire life.

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	2. Rip

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "smile, this city's burning down"

Theme/Prompt: 16. Rip, 64damn_prompts

Genre: Romance

Rating: T

Pairing: DA/A

Words: 258

a/n: two in one day. I'm on a roll. :D

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Neither was certain who'd started it – whatever _it_ was – but it sure wasn't stopping anytime soon, emphasised by the dark-haired man's arm tightening around the boy's waist, making him unable to escape. Not that he'd want to, what with the large hands sliding _oh so slowly _up his sides, and the whirr and vibration of the skimmer beneath them making it that much more difficult to hold back his quiet sounds of appreciation.

The poor Sky Knight couldn't even really recall how he'd _ended up_ in this position, seated comfortably in the lap of his arch-enemy, hands fisted in ebony hair, trying very, _very_ hard not grind against him in a moment of weakness. The elder had already ripped part of his uniform near the collarbone, and was contentedly making use of the milky skin exposed, licking and sucking and biting his way up the boy's neck, making sure to leave marks so as to show just **who** exactly he belonged to_._

The redhead was struggling to just stay coherent, belatedly realising he'd just let slip a whimper, abruptly feeling the chuckle of the man at his throat, and _damn_ he just didn't care anymore, he wanted this **now**. Hands fisted in the familiar Cyclonian uniform, Aerrow ground against the man, face flushed and letting out steady, soft pants. There was a flicker of _something_ in crimson eyes before the man let out a growl and shoved the smirking boy down on to the seat of the skimmer, and _oh_ he was definitely going to enjoy this.

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	3. Lost Scene

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "it's only real when you're not around"

Theme/Prompt: 4. Lost Scene, 64damn_prompts

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: K

Pairing: light DA/A

Words: 215

a/n: wanted to try DA's POV. Sort of. D:

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The boy was nothing like his father.

No matter the countless comparisons between them, it made absolutely no sense in the Dark Ace's mind. Physically, he had his father's hair and eyes, yes, but if you looked at his features – really _looked_ – it was clear that was where the similarities ended. Much more like his mother really, with the feminine curve of his jaw, the milky white skin and the heavy dark lashes. Clearly more graceful in battle, with his carefully initiated flips and twirls, always – **always** – landing on his feet essentially unscathed, a dazzling smile ready for anyone.

But most importantly, Aerrow was psychologically so much stronger, which fascinated the man the most, the way he never crumbled or caved to anything tossed in his path. He'd just get right up again. Never breaking spirit – _God_ how he wanted to break that boy, over and over, till he was left with just the pieces, placing them back together however he liked. Aerrow's will may be like iron, but his heart is like _glass_, and the Dark Ace is going to enjoy exploiting it.

Yes, the boy was nothing like his father.

If he had been, the Dark Ace would never have **wanted** him just as much as he did.

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	4. Linger

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "you're irresistible and i'm insatiable"

Theme/Prompt: 32. Linger, 64damn_prompts

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: K

Pairing: DA/A

Words: 163

a/n: something that's been tumbling around my head for a while now.

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Occasionally, Aerrow would hear it.

They would be lying there together, after a scandalous scene that neither would mention later, the boy comfortable, sated, and his mind slowly clocking down, eyes slipping shut from the on come of sleep. It was always the same, the man next to him softly sliding the tips of his fingers along the length of the boy's arm, eventually coming to trace the curve of his jaw with feather-light precision. Then through his sleepy haze, he'd feel the shift next to him, the breath at his ear and the soft mumble of words, which he could only ever catch the end of.

"–_ve you."_

There it was again. Aerrow was certain the man purposely waited until he couldn't register it properly. Asshole probably took some weird thrill in the boy's frustration. Sometimes, he'd try to bring it up, but whenever asked the man would always respond in the same way.

With a soft kiss just above his heart.

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	5. Stories

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "it's not enough to say that i miss you"

Theme/Prompt: 61. Stories, 64damn_prompts

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: K

Pairing: light DA/A

Words: 200

a/n: inspired by psychelogicalLJ's charming microfic meme. 

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"_Guess what, Daddy? I'm gonna marry Ace someday!"_

Aerrow's mouth pulled down into a frown at the memory, which he wholeheartedly tries to shove to the back of his mind again. The boy couldn't even believe he'd said that, even as a child! How ridiculously humiliating that he'd practically proposed to his now worst enemy. What on earth could he have seen in him at 4 years old?

When the boy tried to remember, he'd only get flashes, glimpses of the person he'd once been so close to – a soft, patient smile, the _whoosh_ of the wind past his ears from his first ride on a Skimmer, fragments of a day spent playing hide-and-seek (_"I'll always find you, Aerrow."_), an amused chuckle, careful fingers that wiped away the tears caused by a skinned knee, and the sad, _regretful_ way he'd looked at him those final few days.

Aerrow is right up close to the man now, in the intimate dance of an inevitable battle. The boy wonders if he remembers. In his moment of fleeting attention, the elder leans forward and whispers against the boy's ear, like something of a kiss.

"_Decided on a date for the wedding yet?"_

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	6. Enemy Gate

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "gravity can't forget to pull me back to the ground again"

Theme/Prompt: 58. Enemy Gate, 64damn_prompts

Genre: General/Angst

Rating: K

Words: 254

a/n: i have no idea where this came from. D:

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He can feel the warm, clotting substance rolling down his jaw, the consequence of a gash to the head. Can feel each cut, bruise, and scar, the pain melding together into a low thrum throughout his exhausted body. The boy struggles to stand, but a kick to the face sends him sprawling back against the ground, crying out as he lands on a broken rib.

"_Aerrow, this is your last chance. Join us."_

"_Never. I'm worth more than that. This is worth everything I have. Protecting everything, keeping the peace, it's all I want. All I have."_

His voice sounds faint, tired, like he hasn't used it in a while. How long has he been here? The boy glances around, sees the burning, hears the shouts, feels the tremble of war in the ground. Another well aimed kick to his side and he's coughing up blood.

"_That's a lie, Aerrow. We both know that."_

He's dragged up on his feet now, hands gripping his shoulders too tightly, agitating cuts and bruises.

"_Without me, without __**this**__," _the man's arm makes a wide sweeping arc, displaying the burning carnage of war and destruction _"you are __**Nothing**__!"_

He's shoved to the ground again, eyes now set in a shocked and disbelieving stare, mouth open, but no words forming. The man is standing before him, mouth set in a grim line. He's waiting. Waiting for something they both know has had a long time coming.

When the Dark Ace holds his hand out, Aerrow takes it without hesitation.

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	7. Crumble

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "i've given you too much"

Theme/Prompt: 22. Crumble, 64damn_prompts

Genre: Romance/Angst

Rating: M for explicit sexual situations.

Pairing: DA/A

Words: 482

a/n: basically just pure unadulterated smut, dedicated to Missy Baggins because of the Word Grind :D

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He has the Sky Knight shoved up against a wall, the shady alley a perfect place for one of their numerous trysts, occurring too many times now to be mere accident. The boy is rough tonight; nails scraping harshly down his back, the Commander's lip already bleeding from when it was bitten. The elder returns the favour, leaving dark bruises and nips along creamy skin, causing the redhead to moan and jerk his hips upwards, helplessly trying to gain some sort of friction.

At the boy's clear enthusiasm, the man decides to try something different this time, his hand already making a slow, heated path down the Sky Knight's spine, sliding beneath the lower part of his uniform. When he slips in the first finger, Aerrow jerks and tries to struggle out from the man's grip, but he holds him firm against the wall, catching one of his wrists and pinning it down, leaving the boy's other hand to tangle helplessly in dark hair. He continues to slide the finger in deep, eliciting a growl from the younger, but then the Commander shifts _just so_ and Aerrow is suddenly slack and shivering in his arms.

The Dark Ace's smirk widens gratuitously when he realises he's found a weak spot, a chink in the boy's well-constructed armour. Aerrow, on the verge of regaining himself, tries to choke out an insult, but the dark-haired man is suddenly curling his finger, releasing a peal of whimpers from the teen. He's never seen the boy like this before, so completely subservient, unable to fight back. The elder contemplates trying for more, deciding to run with it.

"_Say my name."_

He gets the reaction he expected – furious defiance in blazing emerald eyes, mouth snapped firmly shut. The Dark Ace shifts his finger experimentally, surprised to see that same bruised mouth open again in a gasp, earning little breathy noises from the redhead against him. He chuckles against the boy's ear, leaving him shivering from the contact, deciding to go further. The teen makes the most gorgeous sounds when he slips in another finger, the elder drinking in the fluttering gasps beneath him, and when they melt into whimpers, driving his fingers in as far as he can, so as to gain his prize. He smirks when he hears it tumble from the boy's lips.

"_Oh, please, __**Ace**__!"_

Aerrow, breathless and heady from the man's ministrations, sinks his entire weight against him, causing the Dark Ace's fingers to slide deeper within him, eliciting a keening noise from the redhead. The man's breath is hot against his cheek, and the Sky Knight flushes considerably when he realises what he's just said, pleasure and humiliation seeping into his nerves. The teen struggles half-heartedly to get away, but the man easily continues to pin him down, whispering heatedly against his ear, like pouring salt on a wound.

"_Again."_

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	8. Dust

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "you walk around like you own the world"

Theme/Prompt: 46. Dust, 64damn_prompts

Genre: Angst, General

Rating: K

Pairing: blink-and-you'll-miss-it DA/A

Words: 151

a/n: complete irrationality and incomprehensibility.

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Someday, he wants to wipe that pretentious, dazzling smile right off the boy's face. Wants to break and bend and twist his will, _spirit_, over and over and over until he's begging it to stop please stop. He wants to taint and smear the teen's morality and ideals, shatter them against a wall like glass, choking the innocence and naivety out in the process.

And then he'll gather it all up again. Fix the boy. Put that piece here, replace it with another, toss out the unneeded. Show him his potential, his utterly unsharpened ability, where he should've started, the correct place, the correct people, the correct _side_. Yes. He'll formulate the boy and change him, make him the individual he's never been.

Then maybe he'll look at him with something other than that generous hatred that seeps out of every nerve, slowly cracking and destroying and shattering _something_ within.

Someday.

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	9. Rise

Title: Synchronicity

Chapter Title: "i'm ready to begin, the waiting has to end"

Theme/Prompt: 21. Rise, 64damn_prompts

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: K

Pairing: DA/A

Words: 165

a/n: oh, Aerrow, you and your pesky hormones

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It would start with a light brush past his side when either of them was trying to get the upper hand, escalating into proper grasps and shoves and kicks where it _burnt_ whenever the elder touched him, prickly heat flooding his nerve endings, suffocating his senses.

Aerrow didn't understand, had never felt this before, feeling confused and jumpy and it was terrible and he _hated_ it. The man was in his mind, under his skin, submerging him in this horrible new perplexing _thing_ he couldn't comprehend and he **hated** it.

It kept rising and rising and rising and he couldn't do anything and it wouldn't go away and it was getting too hot – like he was going to explode – and he needed it to **stop**. Aerrow needed to do something, _anything_, so when he pressed his lips against the Dark Ace's he justified it in thinking it was the only plausible action to do at this point. He just hadn't been expecting reciprocation.

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End file.
